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If you’ve ever looked into making your own blinking LED light, you have probably seen this tutorial. However, if you follow that schematic, you won’t be able to power many LED’s because the power source they will be using is the 555 timer. So, for this modified project, a transistor was used to allow a much higher number of LED’s to be used. This way, the LED’s are powered directly from the power source instead of the 555 timer.

The transistor’s middle pin is wired to the output of the 555 timer (pin 3). The LED’s get their positive voltage from the battery, and the negative side of the LED’s goes to the transistor. The third pin of the transistor goes to the negative on the battery.

Here are some photos of the process, including the end result. This won’t be a tutorial because the Instructables instructions are very easy to follow. However, feel free to ask any questions in the comments below. Also note that you can change the blinking speed by putting in a different capacitor.

7 feet of up OR down motion on each tire. Seven feet. Full specs can be found on YouTube. They include a fuel injected Ford 5.0L V8, c4 transmission and t-case out of an early bronco, ARB air locker running chain gears on the ends. Swing arms are hydraulically controlled, and can be controlled individually or together. In addition there is coil spring and shock suspension. Chains inside the swing arms turn Hummer gear reduction hubs at each wheel. 39.5 inch tires. Steering is linked through the swing arms. Body construction is steel tubing. Total weight is 5900 pounds. Check the video below.

General Motors – known in the past for solid steel and big block cars; currently known for putting out plastic crap. Not even the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette differentiates itself from this plastic extravaganza. Open a door and feel the plastic door panels creak. Take a seat inside, feel the not-so-solid backings of the seats on a $60,000 car wiggle back and forth. Let’s turn on the radio, hopefully the knob won’t fall off. And if you feel like opening the trunk, be sure not to press too hard, you might crack the plastic body panels.

We got a chance to see and feel the 2010 Corvette at the 2009 San Francisco Auto Show. The first thing we noticed was a peeling racing stripe decal (see picture below) on a car valued at $60K; you might expect racing stripes to actually be painted on a car of this caliber. After adoring the cool looking body, we took a seat inside only to find that the seats wiggle back and forth about ten inches; no big deal, I suppose they’re not clicked in. So we get out of the car, play with the seat controls, and they still wiggle like crazy. I asked a company representative about this issue: he checked the seats on the Corvette and told me they shouldn’t be doing that. He proceeded to another corvette, only to find the seats doing the same thing. And later, when we were looking at the SV 9 Competizione (which is built on the Corvette platform), we noticed the exact same problem. Enough about the seats – the whole interior creaks and the quality of it feels like it belongs in a ten year old, worn and used sedan. Well, to fish out some positives, it puts out amazing horsepower (436 HP for the Grand Sport and 638 HP for the ZR1) and excellent gas mileage (16 MPG city / 26 MPG highway for the Grand Sport and 14 MPG city / 20 MPG highway for the ZR1) for a price you can’t beat ($54,770 for the Grand Sport and $106,880 for the ZR1) – just don’t expect the 2010 Corvette to feel as sturdy and solid as, say, a Porsche or Ferrari.

EDIT: Well this is interesting: looks like GM just raised the MSRP on the 2010 Corvette ZR1 from $106,880 to $108,180 according to their website.

The SV 9 Competizione is built on the Chevrolet Corvette platform. It looks like a Corvette and feels like a Corvette. It also shares some of the Corvette’s problems, including wobbling seats. The engine bay has also been modified, using quite a bit of carbon fiber. These photos were taken December 2009 at the San Francisco International Auto Show.

One automotive manufacturer which definitely stood out amid the 2009 San Francisco Auto Show, sort of like a roaring tiger at the top of Mt. Everest, was Toyota. It seems like they’ve got everything right – a well priced hybrid, a solid off road machine, solid work trucks, safe and reliable family transportation, and a good future. The FJ Cruiser seems solid, simple, easy to work on, and full of great features for 4×4 off road use. The 2010 Prius seems like a promising and solid car, and according to company reps, the 2011 Prius will use Lithium batteries and will be plugged in overnight. Toyota’s lineup of minivans, sedans, and SUV’s seems very promising and reliable as well. If you’re thinking about a new car, Toyota is one brand to definitely consider. The following photos were taken December 2009 at the San Francisco International Auto Show.

Toyota 4Runner

Toyota FJ Cruiser

The 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser starts at an MSRP of $25,270 and is powered by a 4-liter V6 DOHC 24-valve Dual VVT, 258 horsepower, 270 lb-ft of torque engine. Included is a 5-speed automatic transmission, part-time 4WD, Variable Gear Power Steering, Cyclone Air Pre-Cleaner, and 17 inch black steel wheels with P265/70 R17 tires. The FJ gets an EPA estimated fuel economy of 17 MPG city and 21 MPG highway.

Toyota Prius

The 2010 Toyota Prius starts with a $25,800 MSRP and is powered by Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive System, which includes a 1.8-liter DOHC 16-valve VVT 4-cylinder engine. 4-wheel disc brakes and front independent suspension is also included. EPA estimated fuel economy is 51 MPG city and 48 MPG highway.

These are cars that are worthy enough of a post, but didn’t fit in anywhere else, or didn’t have enough photos to include in a separate post. Taken December 2009 at the San Francisco International Auto Show.